JP McNeil, project manager for the iNsite team, said the students are doing the work in place of a thesis to cap off their education.

“But it’s more than just a student project,” McNeil said. “We are consultants working with the city.”

The students will not be paid for the planning project, though the city will help with resources like space for public meetings. The team is made up of McNeil and fellow students Anna Wendt, Art Graves, August Benzow, Samantha Petty and Taren Evans.

According to Beaverton Economic Development Manager Alma Flores, city planners have honed in on Central Beaverton and the Creekside District for economic development programs and in-depth neighborhood planning. The iNsite project will allow Beaverton to take another look at a segment of the city that falls just outside of the downtown hub.

The planning area spans Allen Boulevard from about 141st Avenue to Oregon 217, and from 5th Street to Denney Road. That area includes Fir Grove Elementary, the Beaverton Activities Center and San Francisco Tienda Mexicana, according to a planning map.

The final product of the students’ work will be a document that Beaverton officials can use to customize business, employment and residential programs along Allen. In particular, iNsite and the city are focusing on business opportunities, housing needs and transportation challenges.

McNeil said the area’s business corridor is ripe with small, independent businesses, including a number of minority-owned establishments geared toward Beaverton’s culturally diverse community. It’s important to find ways to enhance those businesses’ success without chasing them out, he said; the potential for gentrification as parts of Beaverton see redevelopment is something the student team intends to look into.

“How do we keep Allen Boulevard the unique area it is now?” McNeil asked. “We want to hear from the community. Community engagement is really important to this project.”

The planning process will include surveys, interviews and two public meetings. The first public event will be an open house on March 20 at 4 p.m. in the Beaverton Activities Center, and the next will be a public meeting on April 24 at 7 p.m. in the activities center. Both meetings will feature childcare and translation available by resident request.